Many of you have probably listened to the new podcast on our site called Americana Rock Mix hosted by Von. The very first podcast I listened to from Von had several tunes by Andre Comeau, including one with his band River Rouge (named after an area in Southeast Michigan). I loved the stuff and got a copy of River Rouge’s new cd, Dark Horse Running. To make it better (for me at least), I found out Andre was born and spent much of his life in my neck of the woods in Michigan. River Rouge consists of Andre Comeau, born in Detroit, Michigan; Jon Mesh, born in Brooklyn, New York; Randy Morris, born in Dallas, Texas and Sabrina Taylor, born in Nova Scotia, Canada one of Canada’s musical hotbeds.
If you watched MTV’s The Real World you might recognize Andre, who logged considerable time on the show. He also has a part in a film I actually saw (I don’t get to see too many with young kids here) called The Mystic Masseur where he was a member of a string quartet. He also played in a number of Detroit area rock bands since before he could drive. The music on Dark Horse Running is a totally infectious mix of smart lyrics, catchy melodies and great musicianship.
The opening cut begins with the haunting sound of the didgeridoo before launching into my favorite track on the disc Speak of the Devil which cleverly adds an echoing chorus from Ring Around The Rosie into the mix at the end. Banjo and fiddle on this track give this cut a decidedly folk flavor. Around the Block is a lively piano and acoustic guitar driven tune (both played by Andre). The title track is another great tune with a very catchy acoustic guitar line and continually asks “Is anybody listening?” Andre has a smooth voice perfect for these tunes, as well displayed on Something Blue. For an idea of the band live, check out the one live cut on the disc, Ms Anne Thrope. If they come anywhere near me, I’m definitely checking them out, they sound great.
It sounds cliche, but there is not a bad tune in the bunch. The disc ends with the whimsical tune Ten Reasons (I’ll Never Be a Groom) which shows Andre’s versatility in songwriting and his sense of humor. It’s a great folksy toe-tapper on which Sabrina Taylor gets to spotlight her voice, adding additional reasons why Andre will never be a groom. If it means he would have to give up writing and performing music then I also hope he is never a groom!